The Connection Bridgewater-Somerville Edition Dec 2018/Jan 2019

Available at Most Toy Stores what’s NEW! D ea l $ $ tea l $ & Online Coupons! Visit theconnectionsnj.com/deals-steals TODAY! HOW TO MAKE DECORATOR FABRIC PUMPKINS By: Carolyn Hanson Carolyn Hanson is a local knitting and crochet designer, teacher and fiber artist. She can be contacted at cchanson3@gmail.com . The Halloween decorations are down and tucked away. Thanksgiving is nearly here. How do you decorate for Thanksgiving? …Floral centerpieces, wreaths of wheat, colorful leaves and berries, acorns, nuts and candles. One of my favorite decorations and fabulous hostess gift is a brocade or velvet pumpkin. They are relatively easy to make and require no real sewing skills other than a bit of hand basting. If you still have a real pumpkin or two remaining from Halloween, you are in luck. What makes these pumpkins so charming is that they use real pumpkin stems. So go onto the front porch and remove the entire stem with all the root like sections. Remove all the pulp and let it dry for a few days. While the stems are drying, gather the following supplies: • Real Pumpkin stem, or a cut tree branch ½-1: thick and 2” long • Upholstery weight fabric – Not dress fabric; the weight of material used for draperies, or velvet. A 12’’x12” square will make a 7” pumpkin, 10”x10” will yield a 5” and 7”x7” will yield a 3” mini version. • Polyfil pillow stuffing • Doll Needle • Heavy-Duty Thread • 1 cup of uncooked rice (used for weight) • Hot glue gun and glue • Scissors • 12”, 10”, or 7” plate to trace circle on fabric Ready? Here we go! Step 1: Using a circular template, cut fabric into a circle. Plug in the glue gun. Step 2: Thread doll needle with heavy-duty thread. Cut the thread 6 feet and knot both ends together. This needs to be strong. Step 3: Baste all the way around the top edge of the circle about ½” from the edge using large stitches (about ½ inch). Step 4: Pull the basting so that the circle becomes bowl shaped. Step 5: Add 1 cup of rice for the 7” pumpkin and less for the smaller sizes. This will give the pumpkin weight so that it stays upright. Step 6: Now add polyfil and stuff it in so that when the thread is pulled tight, the edges all come together and there are no unstuffed spots. Tie a knot using the knotted end of the thread. Step 7: Baste the loose edges together by crisscrossing over the top. Close tightly and tuck all loose edges in. Step 8: Making the dimple – Tightly pinch the stitched top and the center bottom, then drive the needle through all thicknesses of fabric and fill and pull needle out of the center bottom. Make a stitch and reverse the needle to come out of the top. Pull tight so that a dimple forms on the bottom and the bottom and top of the pumpkin come together. Repeat once more. And securely knot the thread to the stitched area at the top and cut the thread/remove the needle. Step 9: Position the pumpkin stem on the fabric pumpkin making sure that all the stitch- ing and lose ends are covered by the pumpkin stem. Step 10: Once the position is set, put glue on the entire bottom of the stem, tracing each tendril and the stem trunk. Not so much that it will squeeze out once the stem is pressed in place. Press the stem to the fabric and hold for a minute for the glue to dry. Voila! I love them in groups of three. All colors and textures are acceptable. Be creative. Have fun and Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. Holiday Cheer www.theconnectionsnj.com PAGE 16